Originally Posted by
wipekitty
What I do not understand is why our local PD decided to put several officers on Segways...
I saw this in Chicago whikle touring a few years back ... officers at a parade on segways and even motorized upright trikes..
My thinking is, they get the elevation that a mounted cop would get, to see over crowds, they get increased top speed over walking, they don't get fatigued, they can carry more gear, and they can mount real sirens---nothing like clearing a path like an actual siren, as opposed to some guy puffing and panting and trying to shout "Make a hole! Make a hole!"
Horses are very high maintenance, moneywise as well. A Segway gives a lot of the advantages (except in Serious crowd-control situations) and still keeps the officer accessible to pedestrians. Also a Segway can stop, motionless, without the rider having to put a foot down.